Vehicle lift



March v22, 1932. 5, R Z|MMERMAN 1,850,950

VEHICLE LIFT Filed March 19, 1929 Patented Mar. 22, 17.9.32`

A UNITEDtsIAI-ES PATENT-,OFFICE SAMUEL E. zIIIMEEMAN, ojE GEEE'NvILLEv'soUTII oAEofLINA,V AssIGNoR To AUTO WHEEL LIET ,coEroE-ATIQN, 0E GREENVILLE, soUTECAEoLINA, A CORPORATION Y 0E SOUTH CAROLINA l VEHICLE LIET l Appncatimmea' Maren 19,1929;v vserial No. a`4a,22

My invention relatesv to vehicle lifts and particularly tojlifts for raising a vehicle wheel from the ground by the power ofthe vehicleitself. v

One objectof my invention is the provision of -a lift'which may be supplied as standard equipment for vehicles, particularly automobiles, at very slight cost.

Another object is the provision of a lift which may be applied to a vehicle wheel without materially changing the appearance ofthe wheel or weakening it.

A further object is theprovision offa :lift

Vwhich is simple in construction and vcan be applied to and removed `from the wheel without special tools. f

Other objects of the invention vwill appear from the following specification when read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawlift embodying my invention; f

Fig. 2 is a view showinjD the lift applied, to a vehicle wheel prior to the lifting operation;

Fig. 3 is a, viewshowing'the lift inposition after the wheel has been raised from thev ground; Y l

Fig. 4 is a vertical viewy taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3; and l Y Y Fig. 5 is a broken sectional viewiof a modilied form of lift. I l Y 7.

The lift, as shown in Fig.v 1, comprises `a substantially iiat base '5 having two upstanding legs 6 'connected thereto and also connected to each other by means of a narrow web 7 The legs Gare spaced apart and are bent over the base so as to form a space for the accommodation ofthe rim and tire of a Y vehicle wheel. ,These legs are further bent to form a channel-shaped portionadapted to embrace the felly of the wheel. l Thisfellyembracing portion is made up of twojvertical v flangeslO, bent upwardly Vfrom the legs 6, two horizontalportions 11 connectedv to the vertical flanges, and a single outerjvertical Bange 12 which not only forms the outer side of the channel-shaped felly-embracing porl v tion, but connects together the two legs 6to forma rigid construction. .Suitable Vreinforcing webs 8v'serve to strengthen the cony nection between base 5 and legs 6, and similar webs 9 reinforce the upper` bent over portions of these legs. Y Y Each of. the' vertical flangesV 10 lcarries a `projection 13 which is adapted to cooperate with an indentation 19 inthe inner face of felly 18. These projections are preferably of conical shapeand are formed inany suitablemanner which provides a strong and rigid construction. :If the lift as a whole is @formed vby casting, then these projections may convenientlybe formed as integral parts of the flanges 10. If the legs 6 togetherjwith flanges 1Q are formed ofl heavysheet steel these'projectionsmay take the form of rivets which are secured inplacein openings drilled through the flanges 10, for they may bel pnnched out kfrom the metal of legs 6. A Spaced mid-way between the' projections 13, and'cooperating therewith is a lockingV screw 14 which isthreaded through the flange 12 of the felly-embracing'.portion. This locking screw is adapted to enter an indentation 20 in the loutside face of the fellyof the wheel, so that when projections 13 enter thev indentations 19 this screw may be tightened to secure the lift firmly to thewheel by giving the screw a@ few turns. .Itis preferable'to Vmake theindentations 19y and 20 at a point inthe felly opposite to the valve 17 in order that the valve may be ina conveniently accessible positionwhen the wheel is jacked up.

The manner` ofusing the vlift kwill be a-pparent from inspection of Figs. 2 and 3. VVhen-it is desiredto ,life the wheel 16 for any purpose, the vehicle .is driven to a position in which the indentations in the felly are conveniently accessible. The lift isplaced over the felly 18 of the'wheelin such positionthat projections 13fregisterwith and enter the indentations 19 on the'inner face of the felly. Thelockingscrew is then positioned to enter the indentation 2O in the outerface of the felly, and is tightened to clamp the lift, in

place. Y When the projections 13 and the locking screw 14 register with `the indentations with which they'cooperate, none of the parts of the liftengage the rim or tire'and the legs 16 are inside of and spaced from the tire so as not to interfere with it. After the jack is secured to the felly the vehicle is driven forward so that the wheel 16 rotates in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 2 The base 5 strikes the ground causing a gradual lift of the wheel until the base is in flat surface engagement with the ground as shown in Fig. 3, at which time further movement of the vehicle is stopped. The jacking up process is now complete and the tire may be removed orreplaced or any other desired adj ustments made without interfering with the operation of the lift, or causing it to be displaced. `When it is desired to lower the wheel, the vehicle is driven forward or back- 5 and will gradually tilt with the legs 6 at a decreasing angle until the surface of the tire again engages the ground; As soon as the wheel is lowered so that the tire supports the weight of the vehicle and the base 5 is out of contact with the ground, further movement of the vehicle is stopped and the lift may be removed by loosening the locking screw 14 and disengaging the channel-shaped portion of the lift from the felly.

The inventionl is here shown'as applied to an artillery wheelv 16 of ordinary construction in whichthe felly is formed of channel steel. My invention is particularly adapted for use with wheels of lthis construction although its'use is obviously not limited thereto.

In 'Fig 5 I have illustrated a modified form of-lift adapted for use with wheels in lwhich the outer face of the felly 2l has a circumferential strengthening rib 22 extending entirely around it. In this case the inner face of the felly contains two spacedindentations 19 cooperating with spaced lugs 13 as before, but thel outer flange of the channel' portion s thickened at 23 to receive a modified form of clamping device.

This clamping device consists of athreaded bolt 24 having an outwardly projecting head 25 andan inwardly projecting ball 26. This ball forms a swivel connection with a felly-engaging member 27 which is suitably shaped to enga-ge and lock around the rib 22. Thisv member is guided by a socket 28 in the outer flange of the felly to insure that when the projections 13 are forced into the indentations 19 and thebolt 24 isI tightened, the member 27 will accurately engage rib 22 to lock the liftl rigidly in position.

This form of lift is of still further simplicity in that it requires only that the felly be constructed with two indentations on its inner face while the outer face is not altered.

It will be apparent that this is avery simple and e'liicient construction, and that the lift may be applied to a wheel without the use of any tools other than a lug wrench. Raising the vehicle requires no manual exertion on the part of the operator and the means for applying' the lift does not detract from the appearance of the vehicle. The device is also of particular efficiency because it contacts with the felly of the wheel at two comparatively Widely spaced points so as t0 distribute the strain and to provide a powerful leverage which is brought into play when the vehicle is set in motion with one edge of the base of the lift engaging the ground.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of lvehicle lift embodying my inventiomit willV be obvious that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details thereof, within the scope of the appended Claims, without departing from the rspiritand scope ofmy invention. wardand the wheel will be canted on the base Y What is claimed is:

1. The combination with .a vehicle Wheel having cooperating indentations inopposite sides of the felly, of a lift comprising a'fellyembracing portion having a plurality of proj ections for engagementv with indentations in one side of the felly, clamping means for engagement with an indentation in the other side of the felly, supporting means'connected to said felly-embracing portion, and a flat base connected to said means to support said wheel.

2. The combination with a vehiclewvheel having cooperating indentations in opposite sides of the felly,v ofa lift comprising av fellyembracing portion havinga plurality of;

spaced projections adapted to engage the indentations in theinner face of the felly and a clamping device adapted to engage an indentation in' the outer face of theI felly,.a pair of spaced supporting legs secured to said felly-embracing portion, and a supporting base secured tosaid legs at the ends remote from said felly-embracing portion.

3. The combination with alvehiclewheel having cooperating indentations in. opposite sides of the felly, of a lift comprising a channel-shaped felly-embracing portion, a pair of spaced projections on the inside of said channel-shaped portion and cooperating with 'the indentations on the inner face of the felly,

an adjustable locking device in the opposite Vside of said channel-shaped portion mid-way between the projections and cooperating with an indentation in the outer face of the felly to secure the lift thereto, and a supporting base and legs connected to said channelshaped portion, said base being spaced fromV said channel-shaped portion.

4. A vehicle lift comprising a'flat base, supporting means secured to said base, said means being shaped at the upper end to form a wheel-engaging channelfportioma plurality of felly-engaging means on the inner'face of said channel portion, and an adjustable clamping device on the outer 'face of said channel portion and cooperating with said felly-engaging means to clamp said lift to the fellyofv a wheel, whereby said lift is secured to the wheelsolely' by engagement with said felly.

5. The combination with a vehicle wheel having a felly with faces of uneven contour, of a lift comprising a base, supportingmeans extending upward from said base to form a channel portion, means on the inner face of said channel portion for forming at least a two-point inter-engagement with one face of the elly, and an adjustable clamping device on the outer face of said channel portion construeted and arranged for inter-engagement With the other face of the felly to lock said lift to said felly.

In testimony whereof I have signed my.

name to this speciication. t SAMUEL R. ZIMMERMAN. 

